Publishing Monday: home stretch—and an interview with moi

As I gear into the home stretch of this draft of THE LILY MAID, I’m reminded how I felt when I was nine months pregnant with Thea: so ready to get it over and also not believing that it would ever be over. This, on top of moving house and studio, makes me a very grumpy and overwhelmed camper. Bah humbug and all that! Regardless, here’s where I’m at right now with my novel:

~ I’ve revised about 320 pages of the manuscript. I have about another 120 to go. So if I revise 30 pages a week between now and my February 1, 2012 deadline, I should be okay. Right?

~ That written, based on the comments I’m getting from my wonderful critique partners, I’ve still a few last refinements to make. Not big deals, but they’ll help immensely with clarifying character motivation, plot arc, and all those important details that push a novel from “why did that happen again?” to “wow.” Hopefully. So I need to allow time for that.

~ I’m also off to England for two weeks in mid-January for my next writer’s retreat/last round of research trip. This time I’ll be staying in the Cotswolds, where a section of my novel takes place, as well as in London. Since daylight is short in the UK right now, I’m figuring I’ll research during the day and write at night. Having uninterrupted time is so useful for my focus at this stage, so I suspect this will speed up the process. But I will miss my family, especially Thea who is at such a delicious age right now.

Aaaannnnd in typing all this up, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed all over again. (Cue hyperventilation. Reach for paper bag.) But I know this is a normal part of the process when finishing up a big creative project—it will pass, the book will get finished, life will go on. On a related note, I was reassured to read via author Sandra Gulland that Sarah Waters (FINGERSMITH, AFFINITY) keeps a bottle of Rescue Remedy by her desk to help with writing anxiety. So I’m in decidedly good company these days.

Other news:

~If you’re in the NYC area, we’re having a studio closing party this Saturday at my “old” space—our last hurrah.So come by, say hello, and take a last gander at the space where I’ve created many projects very happily over the past four years. Children are decidedly welcome.

~Out with the old, in with the new: The new studio space is in the process of being set up. I’m pleased to announce that, instead of a chalkboard door, there will an entire chalkboard wall. I also have a view that goes for blocks—gorgeous! Photos to come soon.

~Finally, amid all this craziness, I was recently interviewed about my publishing career, writing process, and views on storytelling. Here’s some advice I gave for aspiring authors:

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: To jump in and not be afraid. To allow yourself to write badly and often—what author Anne Lamott calls a “shitty first draft.” She also advises that “perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.” It’s so true! I’m convinced that writers who become successful (which I define here as published by an established publishing house, though there are many definitions of what constitutes creative success) are those who allow themselves to do just this. The craft of writing is in the fearlessness of beginning and the tenacious bravery of revising and rewriting. It’s also in the willingness to allow yourself to be criticized and rejected, though of course acceptances and accolades are far more pleasant…”

You can read the rest of the interview here.

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Above: The Lady of Shalott by J. W. Waterhouse, the painting which inspired THE LILY  MAID.

• Filed under The Novel, interviews, publishing, travels | No Comments

Giveaway: An interview with Gaian Tarot creator Joanna Powell Colbert

I’m so pleased that internationally acclaimed tarot creator Joanna Powell Colbert is my guest for today. Joanna’s Gaian Tarot has just been published by Llewellyn Worldwide to much critical praise. It was previously published as a limited edition and has been in the works for some nine years.

I plan to post a review of the Gaian Tarot soon. In the meantime, here’s the short version: it’s a stunning and important addition to the tarot world. I adore it! And here’s more good news: one lucky blog commenter will have the chance to try the Gaian Tarot for themself: Joanna is generously offering a giveaway of the newly published Llewellyn edition of the Gaian Tarot. Info on how to enter the giveaway is at the end of this post.

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Kris Waldherr: You’ve been working on the Gaian Tarot over the past nine years—a long period of creative development and dedication! What was your experience of “living” with such a long project? Did you ever lose hope you’d ever finish? What advice would you give other artists undertaking major projects such as yours?

Joanna Powell Colbert: I loved the process so much that, even though I was glad to finish the project, I felt lost without it.  A very strange feeling!  I loved coming up with the ideas for the cards, being inspired on my daily walks, searching for messages in the natural world, finding them and incorporating them into the cards.  It was exhilarating and exciting.  I felt so connected to Spirit and to the earth.

I never really lost hope that I would complete the deck.  I knew I would, because I felt like I had an “assignment” from Spirit to finish it and see it out in the world.  I did despair at times, over how long it was taking.  And I got very, very tired of the medium of photo-realistic colored pencil painting.  In fact, I don’t know that I will ever do another piece of artwork in that particular medium again.

Advice for other artists undertaking major projects like this? Persistence! Take it one step at a time, while keeping the big picture in mind.  Set aside blocks of time in your schedule that are earmarked for working on your project, and keep that time as sacred.  I had to say “no” to a lot of events and activities I would have enjoyed, in order to stay home and make art.  And if your life runs away with you, and you get off course, just get back on course with no shame or blame.

KW: It’s been a pleasure to watch the Gaian develop over the years on your very lovely website at GaianTarot.com. Through it, I became very familiar with the Major Arcana cards. So it was a revelation to spend time with the minor arcana cards. Many of them feel so intimate in their detailed vision of nature—spawning salmon (Ace of Water), shooting stars in a night sky (Eight of Fire). They feel like snapshots into nature’s most precious workings. How did you decide on the images for the minors? Was there any difference in your approach to them than for the Majors?

JPC: For both the Majors and the Minors, I would ask myself:  Where does the voice of Nature appear in the themes of this card?  And I would go for long walks on the island, seeking inspiration.  For the Minors, though, I did a lot of preliminary work on structure.  I made a chart — a spreadsheet, really — with the four elements (Air, Fire, Water and Earth) across the top, and the numbers and people cards down the side.  I got very clear about the meanings of the numbers and the people card qualities.  I also made lists of correspondences and symbols for the elements.  Then I would fill in the boxes on the chart with ideas for images that would bring together the quality of the number with the characteristics of the element.

For example, let’s look at the 4 of Water.  To me, “four” means: boundaries, creating a container or sacred space, a foundation. Water is all about emotions, spirituality, dreams and visions.  So I was meditating on “creating a container for sacred dreams and visions” — and I was struck with the image of a well.  A well is a literal container for water!  And there is a tradition of sacred healing wells in Britain.  I had visited Chalice Well in Glastonbury, and it seemed like a no-brainer to set the 4 of Water there, because it brings in the extra added meaning of healing. In the card, we see a woman kneeling by the well, gazing into it.  I obscured her face on purpose, so that the reader or querent can decide whether she is despondent or at peace, as she gazes into the waters of the well.

KW: In your deck, you’ve corresponded the suit of Pentacles (or Coins) with the element of earth. I think your Five of Earth is one of my favorite cards in the deck, which surprises me; usually the Five of Earth is considered a dire warning of material impoverishment. In your version the journeyer is protected by nature against the elements—a more hopeful vision. Can you tell us a little more about creating this card?

JPC: Sure. I believe that every card in every deck carries a range of meanings from light to shadow. The image on each card usually emphasizes one over the other, but as readers, we know to be aware of the entire range.  I don’t like readings where the querent is left hanging with one of the more dire cards.  I want to help the querent find a way out of their current predicament.  So, my 5 of Earth does indeed depict a survival situation:  the hiker is lost in the woods during a storm.  (This could, of course, be a metaphor for illness or financial stress, among other things.)  But here’s the key: the hiker knows he has the survival skills necessary to wait out the storm and make it out of the woods.  He knows how to build a debris hut for shelter. So even though he is cold and uncomfortable, he is not likely to die during the storm.  He’ll find his way out of the woods once the storm has passed.

The idea for the debris hut came from my nature awareness studies with my friend Chris Chisholm of Wolf Camp & College.  Making a debris hut is one of the earth skills he teaches his students in his wilderness survival courses.

KW: On a related note, what is your favorite card in the Gaian Tarot? Why?

JPC: The Guardian of Water. She is the “Goddess” card in the deck for me. I have a particular affinity for the Ocean Mother, in all the ways she manifests around the world in various cultures. I love this piece because I think it perfectly captures the compassion of Tara and Kwan Yin, pouring out the waters of mercy upon a troubled world.

KW: Now for some publishing questions! The Gaian Tarot is available both as a self-published limited edition and as a traditionally published deck with Llewellyn Worldwide. These days so much of the dialogue in the publishing industry is about the benefits of self-publishing versus traditional house. Some authors prefer the financial benefits and autonomy of self-publishing; others want the stamp of approval of a publishing house. How have these two paths served you?

JPC: I’ve had the best of both worlds, and I’m very grateful for that. In terms of money, I will most likely make more money with the limited edition than I will make with the Llewellyn edition.  But I am very happy that Llewellyn was able to produce the deck in a format that is affordable for almost anyone.  So anyone who wants the deck can have one, and that gives me a lot of joy. Llewellyn of course has great distribution channels, which I could never replicate as a self-publisher.  So the benefits of being published by a house are, as you say, the stamp of approval (Capricorns love that!), and becoming more widely known. [Note from KW: Tauruses love this too!] I am hopeful that people who buy the Llewellyn deck will want to take classes or workshops with me, join my Gaian Tarot Circle online community or book tarot consultations with me.  Like I said, the best of both worlds!  Self-publishing is better for making money and having creative control over the finished product; a publishing house is better for advancing your “fame” and reputation.

KW: Do you have any preference for one mode of publishing over the other? Would you self-publish a deck again in the future?

JPC: I have been sitting with those questions for awhile.  I think I would have to look at each project individually and think about ROI (Return On Investment).  I worked for nearly a decade on the Gaian Tarot with no financial compensation. So it was quite gratifying to finally make a decent chunk of money through sales of the limited edition.  If I can produce other books or decks quickly, I would be more likely to seek a publishing house.  Of course, there’s always the “best of both worlds” scenario, too.  As long as publishers are amenable, I think I’d always like to publish a high-end version along with a mass market version.  Yes, I would self-publish a deck again, if I had plans to create another deck, which I don’t. Not at the moment, anyway!

KW: What advice would you give to anyone looking to publish a tarot deck? Or even just looking to break into publishing?

JPC: Come up with a unique vision for your deck, and stay true to it. Make sure it comes from your heart and the promptings of Spirit. Don’t worry about whether or not your idea is commercial enough for a publisher. You can always publish it yourself.  Learn how to write a killer non-fiction book proposal — take a workshop, or read (and follow) a good book on the topic. Do your market research and create a promotion plan.  Build a platform (online and offline) while you’re creating the deck so you will already have a tribe of “fans” when the deck is published.  Go to tarot conferences and writers conferences, and network with editors and agents.  (Sometimes at conferences you can book a time slot to pitch your project to an editor or agent. Even if they turn you down, you will learn a lot!)

Don’t give up.

KW: Finally, what are you working on now? Do you have future books or decks underway?

JPC: My current focus is on teaching, more than art or writing projects. I teach online courses as well as in-person workshops, on the Gaian Tarot, earth-centered spirituality and manifesting your dreams. I’m currently in the midst of planning my schedule for 2012. One project I’m very excited about is creating a Gaian Soul Retreat for women, with an emphasis on creativity, spirituality and nature.  I’m looking for a venue here in the Northwest, maybe on one of the islands. It will probably be a four day retreat in late summer or early fall of 2012.

I am tossing around the idea of an oracle deck focused on plants and animals, with no humans in it. But so far it is just an idea. I went on a writers retreat in July, and received a “divine download” for a new illustrated book. The working title is “Reading the Book of Nature.” It’s a series of illustrated meditations based on practices I’ve collected from many sources over the years on how to create a deeper relationship with the natural world. I cover some of this same material in my workshops. I’m very excited about it!

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Thanks, Joanna, for a wonderfully inspiring interview! As I mentioned above, Joanna has offered one copy of the Gaian Tarot to raffle off here. To win, simply leave a comment by midnight, October 2, 2011. The rules: Only one comment per person. Small print: Deck set can only be shipped to U.S. mailing address. Winner will be chosen at random and announced here on Monday, October 3rd.

Good luck to all!

• Filed under creativity, interviews, reviews + press, tarot and oracles | 20 Responses

A Lover’s Path Tarot interview … plus other news and links

With all the recent focus on Art and Words Editions, it’s been a while since I’ve updated here in regards to my “author” publications. These days, I’ve been spread between three big projects. I’ve been in deep-and-intense nose-to-the-keyboard mode in an attempt to finalize edits for the first half of THE LILY MAID, my novel set in 1880s London. I have a long-aborning royalty-themed book proposal awaiting my attention. Plus I’ve sworn to finish up those last few details on the Sacred World Oracle as soon as possible.

To say it’s a busy winter—well, I won’t bore you with the obvious. In the meantime, here’s some news and links.

1. Tarotist James Ricklef recently interviewed me about The Lover’s Path Tarot. It’s part of his ongoing Tarot Creator Forum feature on his blog. Check that out here.

2. In other tarot news, our next Tarot Salon at the gallery is set for February 11th from 7 to 9:30pm. Author and urban shaman Mama Donna Henes and I will be reading. Fran Dunston will be offering massages. Plus red wine! Chocolate! Get the details here. (BTW, Art and Words Editions has published the e-book edition of  Mama Donna’s wonderful THE QUEEN OF MY SELF for Kindle, iPad, and Nook. Learn more here.)

3. I’ve decided to attend the Historical Novel Society conference this June in San Diego on the recommendations of my author-friends Mary Sharratt, C. W. Gortner, and Faith L. Justice. I’ve been to many publishing conventions, but never to a writer’s conference. I’m excited.

4. Related to the above: Big congratulations to C. W. Gortner on the U.K. publication of THE TUDOR SECRET. It’ll be available in the States on February 1st from St. Martin’s Press. Plus the paperback edition of Mary Sharratt’s heart-wrenchingly beautiful novel DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL is now available. Mary graced us with a reading from it last year at the gallery—a very memorable event! Last but definitely not least, my cousin Vicky Alvear Shecter’s new nonfiction book CLEOPATRA RULES! was recently published. Congrats to all!

5. Besides all of this, I’ve been on a reading jag. I’ve finally dived into the novels of Sarah Waters—FINGERSMITH and AFFINITY—and am looking forward to tearing through the rest. I’m speechless on how good they are! Also finally read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, ANGELS & INSECTS, and THE LADY AND THE UNICORN. And I’m in the middle of THE REAL MINERVA and THE LAST QUEEN. All very inspiring stuff! I also have a pile of biographies awaiting of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven and Winnaretta Singer (aka Princess Edmond de Polignac). I’ve also pre-ordered Peggy Orenstein’s CINDERELLA ATE MY DAUGHTER, which comes out later this month.

6. On a non-fiction note, my friend Lucy Raubertas has just released her evocatively written blog Indie Perfume for the Kindle. Indie Perfume offers information about independent perfumers and their transcendent creations, inviting us to connect to nature and beauty through the sense of smell. It’s very calming and centering in a Proustian way—just like the lovely Lucy herself. Learn more or subscribe here.

And that’s the latest! More to come once I get a chance to relax and smell the perfume.

• Filed under The Novel, art and words, blogs we read, creativity, friends and colleagues, iPhone apps, interviews, lover's path, studio and gallery | No Comments

Creativity Friday: Interview and giveaway with Catherine Delors, author of For The King

So, you might be wondering, where have I been since June 18th? (Yup, this blog has been dark for that long!) The short answer: I finished my novel THE LILY MAID. The amount of work involved was all encompassing—the final draft came to 113,000 words or 392 pages. The manuscript was handed into my literary agent Monday. Hopefully she’ll like it! So far, she’s only read a synopsis of it.

Since finishing the manuscript, I’ve been engaging in lots of staring at walls and all around decompression and trying not to obsess about What’s Next. Writing THE LILY MAID has been one of the more intense creative experiences of my life. For now, it’s good to have a break to let the creative wells refill before I embark on further book revisions and other projects.

It’s perfect timing that my guest for today’s Creativity Friday is an author who’s been through the novel-writing experience twice—Catherine Delors. She’s generously agreed to answer some of my questions about her creative process. I originally “met” Catherine when my book DOOMED QUEENS was published and she interviewed me on her wonderful blog Versailles and More. I’m thrilled to host her in return.

The focus of my interview today is Catherine’s just-released novel, FOR THE KING (Dutton Books). FOR THE KING takes readers through the dark alleys and glittering salons of post-revolutionary Paris. It is a romantic thriller, a tale of love, betrayal and redemption. On Christmas Eve 1800, a bomb explores along Bonaparte’s route, narrowly missing him but striking dozens of bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel, a young policeman with a bright future and a beautiful mistress, must arrest the assassins before they attack again. Complicating Miquel’s investigation are the maneuverings of his superior, the redoubtable Fouché, the indiscretions of his own father, a former Jacobin, and two intriguing women. (Full disclosure: I worked with Catherine to create the book video for FOR THE KING. You can watch it on YouTube here.)

We’re giving away a copy of it to one lucky blog commenter. Rules are posted after the interview.

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Kris Waldherr: One of the things which has most impressed me about FOR THE KING is the amazing amount of historical detail you interweave within it. It’s quite astonishing! Your late father was a history professor. I can’t help but wonder about your own research methodology—was it influenced by him? How do you approach researching your novels? Do you do a lot of research in archives?

Catherine Delors: Thank you, Kris! Fortunately, my father lived long enough for us to discuss on many occasions my first novel, MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION, before his death. He always emphasized the importance of researching archives. I now realize how right he was on this point. And I would have loved to discuss FOR THE KING with him, in particular what I discovered about Fouché’s involvement in the Rue Nicaise bombing.

KW: As an author, I find that there are certain types of scenes that I find easier to write, others less so—for example, since I’m also an artist, I can get totally lost in writing visual descriptions! What was your favorite part of FOR THE KING to write? Favorite character to write scenes for? (I assume that would be your protagonist, Roch, but maybe not?)

CD: Well, I write descriptions because I cannot help it, but I much prefer writing dialog. In FOR THE KING, my protagonists, Roch and Blanche, were the most difficult to write. I really had fun with two of my villains, Fouché and Short Francis.

KW: You are French yet your novels are written in English. What are the challenges involved in doing this—especially since you’re writing about French history? Do you have a preference for writing in either language?

CD: I write French legal briefs, but have never penned any fiction in my native language! I should like to do that someday.

KW: Both MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION and FOR THE KING are set during volatile periods in history, before and after the French Revolution. Like your fellow historical fiction author Sandra Gulland, French history appears to be your métier. Do you have ever have fantasies of writing about a different historical period or even a different country? If so, what and why?

CD: Oh, yes! My next two projects are firmly rooted in the 18th century, but I have a long-cherished dream of writing about certain medieval historical character. A very important, yet now very obscure man…

KW: MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION was your first book; FOR THE KING your second. Did you find it easier the second time around? What are the difficulties of writing a second novel? Did you feel pressured after the wonderful reception of MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION?

CD: I found my second novel more difficult to write than the first. I believe it is not an unusual experience. Your first novel has a feeling of innocence about it. You simply go for it. With the second novel, you have learned much about both the craft of writing and the business of publishing. You worry whether the readers who loved your first book will follow you with this one. You wonder whether is it as compelling.

To give you an example, Kris, the initial draft of MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION was 315,000 words long. I had no idea of standard word counts at the time. (Editor’s note: Publishers expect historical fiction novels to be 90,000 to 120,000 words in length.) In retrospect I feel the novel was better in its long version (but then I love to read very, very long books myself.) Yet, to be blunt, in the real world a debut novel of this length is not publishable. So I had to cut it down to less than half of its length. Some parts may feel rushed now, especially the beginning. So be it, it was the price to pay to get it published.

So with FOR THE KING I paid much attention to my word count from day one. I did not want to have to cut into the flesh of the novel this time around. When I reached 80,000 words, I knew I had 20,000 words to wind down the story, and I stuck to that limit. It was an excellent exercise in writerly discipline for me, though it made it less of a spontaneous adventure. The upside was that, when it landed into my editor’s inbox, there was no more talk of cutting for the sake of cutting.

I am not moaning about the exigencies of publishing, by the way. Arbitrary material constraints have always ruled the business. English novelists in the 19th century were bound, so to speak, by the three-volume format. This did not prevent them from writing works we still enjoy today, long after the triple-deckers were consigned to the trash heap of publishing history.

KW: This is a question that I ask all my author guests: What advice would you give to writers working on novels (specifically historical fiction)? As the saying goes, hindsight is best sight: What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

CD: The only rule a writer needs to remember is to back up her work as often as possible. The best, most successful novels breach the rules you find in “how to” manuals. Once I completed the manuscript of MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION and began querying agents, I followed a well-respected site (no names named) for a few weeks, and believed its information, given in a very authoritative tone. Once I secured my own agent and got to know the real world of publishing, I realized how misleading the information was on that site. Yet I see many unpublished writers trust such self-appointed authorities. My advice: forget about “the rules” and concentrate on your writing.

As for historical novelists, they are no different from other writers, except on one point: they must thoroughly research their subject, and present an accurate version of the past.

KW: Another writing question: One thing you’ve also mentioned to me is the difficulties in finalizing a book ending. I know that you mentioned changing the ending to FOR THE KING. Can you tell us a little bit about that process? Were you happy with the final ending?

CD: No, I was not happy. The initial ending was more dramatic, darker than the one I eventually wrote. FOR THE KING explores some rather unsavory corners of the human soul, of politics, of 1800 Paris.  I felt the novel needed a happy ending of sorts to balance that. It simply felt right, it left things more open. Come to think of it, I only did that in my last rewrite, but misgivings about the ending had been lurking on my mind for a long time.

KW: Your “From Unpublished to Published” is a wonderful resource on your website detailing your journey to publishing MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION. I especially appreciate that you included the successful query letter that netted you your agent—a very generous gift. Now that you’re a bit further down the road with FOR THE KING, is there any new advice you’d add to this mix?

CD: Oh yes! Unpublished writers focus a tremendous deal of energy on the dream of publication, rightly so. But they should know this is only a first step in a literary career. The hard work begins AFTER your book is completed and you find a publisher.

KW: I follow you on Twitter. Several months ago, you had mentioned that you have two new books underway, just as I do. (Indeed, we joked that it’s like being pregnant with twins!) Is this still the case? Or has one book “won” out over the other? Can you share with us what these books are about? Will they also take place in French history? What can we look forward to reading next from you?

CD: Yes, we are both pregnant with twins. I am writing the prequel to MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION. It too is a historical thriller, the story of a serial killer in the mountains of Auvergne, twenty years before the French Revolution. And I am also working on a book on Jane Austen. The latter requires a tremendous amount of sleuthing in far-ranging archives, so the thriller/prequel will probably be completed first.

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Thank you, Catherine, for this wonderfully inspiring and generous interview! As I mentioned above, Catherine and Dutton Books have offered us a delctable copy of FOR THE KING to raffle off here. To win it, simply leave a comment by midnight, July 29, 2010.

The rules: Only one comment per person. Small print: Book can only be shipped to U.S. or Canadian mailing address. Winner will be chosen at random and announced here July 30.

Good luck to all!

• Filed under The Novel, creativity, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, interviews | 12 Responses

Creativity Friday: Interview and giveaway with Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude & Camille

For today’s Creativity Friday, I’m thrilled to have as my guest acclaimed historical fiction novelist Stephanie Cowell. Stephanie’s luminous novels feature the passions and struggles as well as the intimate daily world of artists, writers and musicians of the past: Claude Monet half a century before he painted the water lilies (CLAUDE & CAMILLE), the unmarried Mozart choosing between four musical sisters (MARRYING MOZART), Shakespeare leaving his resentful family in Stratford to try make it as a playwright in London (THE PLAYERS). She is currently writing a novel about a much-loved writer from the nineteenth century — but more about that below.

Stephanie was also a guest at the gallery last month as part of our as part of our ongoing Authors at the Gallery series. It was so inspiring to meet her in person! (Her reading is available to watch here.)

My interview today is about her just-released novel, CLAUDE & CAMILLE (Crown Books). CLAUDE & CAMILLE relates the not-so-well-known tragic love story of the young, unknown Claude Monet and his great love and muse Camille Doncieux. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too. So we’re giving away a copy of it to one lucky blog commenter. (Rules are posted after the interview.)

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Kris Waldherr: You’ve mentioned viewing the Impressionist paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as an inspiration for CLAUDE & CAMILLE. Was there a particular “eureka” moment that led you to discovering the story of Monet’s first wife and muse, Camille Doncieux?

Stephanie Cowell: Well, not, actually! I fell in love with the friendships of the men there. Of course my husband-to-be was with me, his hand on my shoulder (which was a most entrancing feeling as we had just recently met), so the feeling of love was in the air. I had a sense Monet had loved passionately but I don’t remember a picture of Camille there. Someone just told me they had “Women in the Garden.” How could I not recall it? I recall the strong feeling that he was about to fall intensely in love.

KW: CLAUDE & CAMILLE is quite the delectable tearjerker — Camille is such a quicksilver, tragic muse of a character! What was the hardest part about writing about her? What did you find most compelling? Most difficult?

SC: Camille was the most difficult character in the book and the last to develop into a full, complex character. In an early version she was just a sweet young thing from a poverty background, but when I learned her background was upper-class it made a difference. When I was in my early 20’s I knew a few girls, one who kept lying because she wanted to appear fascinating and then didn’t know truth from fiction and a few (me too) who threw away good homes to live in poverty and wash diapers by hand, feeling we were among the genuine people. My editor kept coaxing Camille from me during the editorial stage and she just grew into something we both didn’t expect. Her terror of growing older, her secret letters to an unknown man…that sort of all came to flower (so to speak) towards the end of the writing process.

KW: One of the things I loved about CLAUDE & CAMILLE is the visceral sense of nineteenth century Paris you’ve evoked — the artists’ gatherings with their rough red wine, the scrounging for oil paint, the renting of model’s clothing, and so on. It’s all very La Bohéme. Can you describe your research process? How long did it take? Do you research before you begin to write?

SC: Research takes place before, during and then after in a way. You keep adding things. I love to find bits of daily life and stick them in. I guess I was researching the whole time. Various biographers had different opinions of the characters, and of Camille herself there was very little known at all. I worked with old photographs and paintings and many books. I walked the streets of Paris where Claude had walked and I went to Giverny. At one point in the book, I only had Claude young in the years before he had heard of Giverny (he did not rent that house until he was 43, after Camille dies); a close friend said, “You must go there to see what he became.” And I did and oddly…I felt so proud of him! I murmured under my breath, “Claude, see what you managed to achieve with your work!” I hope no one else heard me.

KW: Before you became a novelist you spent years as a singer and musician — I’m sure this must have been useful to you in your previous novel, MARRYING MOZART. For CLAUDE & CAMILLE, was your arts background helpful when it came to writing about visual artists? Or was it a challenge? Did you find yourself making certain assumptions about their artist process that turned out to be not as applicable as you first thought?

SC: I had grown up with art, with the smell of brushes and the shape of the easel against the window, but I had no gift to paint or draw. I have been fascinated all my life with changing light and shadow and perspective. Light across a field or above a river can send me into tears of joys, as can peeled stucco on an old Italian house. In the winter I watch as the stone drinks the light. So I had seen other painters and one day I went to hang out in the Art Students League where my mother had taught and listened to the conversations. I had a few painter friends read the book to make sure nothing was too off. I understood Claude’s compulsion. As to music, I had sung parts of Mimi and Musetta in La Bohéme and particularly the scene where Mimi loses her key and the young writer and seamstress fall in love in the shabby studio to some of the most glorious music ever written for lovers. I wanted to create that kind of unreasonable passionate love.

KW: Mozart and Monet are such iconic men — it’s hard to imagine them as anything but great artists influencing much of European culture. What similarities did you find writing about Claude Monet and Mozart? Differences?

SC: Oh goodness! Well, they were both very impractical about money; they wanted to live like lower nobility or at least, in Monet’s case, petite bourgeois. They both had compulsions. I think Mozart had more of a sense of humor and was used to presenting himself before kings dressed in gorgeous clothes since the age of six. Mozart’s father devoted himself to him and guided his son’s genius.  And in the 1770’s there were good jobs for musicians/composers. Every good church needed one; every nobleman or archbishop had his orchestra and wanted a new symphony for a wedding or something; they needed new operas like we need new movies (and books, one hopes!)  Monet’s father was against his becoming an artist and by then there were no guaranteed places or incomes for new artists. The photograph had come and all the churches were already painted the century before. And Paris was flooded with a thousand artists. There were very few patrons. Mozart had lots of rich patrons; it took Monet until his forties to find any.

Then of course Mozart was surrounded by the happy family of his wife, even though his father wished he had not married. At thirty he was making a fortune and surrounded  by those who loved him. At thirty Monet was near destitute and about to go into exile to London where thing would be worse.

KW: I’ll ask the same question that I asked Mary Sharrett last month: What advice would you give to writers working on novels (specifically historical fiction)? As the saying goes, hindsight is best sight: What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

SC: I wish I had known how hard it was! I mean, what diligence you need and what a challenge the actual business of writing can be. But I’d say if a writer wants to do this, what a joy it can be! Forming a  few characters, a place, a dish, warm weather, a hat, a quarrel maybe and there is something living on the page. And when someone else reads and loves your story, it is indescribable. I have not quite taken it in…and I can’t really, because each reader has their different ways and reasons for loving a story. It’s a shared intimacy.

KW: I’ve heard that your next book is a novel about the Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. What inspired you to feature a female protagonist after several books featuring male historical figures? How has writing this book differ from writing CLAUDE & CAMILLE? And, finally, when can we expect to read it?

SC: I have wanted a female protagonist for a long time. I found it easier to write about men and maybe more fascinating, as I always like to know what makes each one tick! And in historical times when a woman is brilliant, so much of the book is about her defying the system to express herself.  Of course each book is different than another book, but in CLAUDE & CAMILLE, Camille can’t wait to defy her loving patents and live the life she wants; Elizabeth has a hard time even marrying because she does not want to displease her father or desert her family. And their moral standards! I am dealing with Victorians here where propriety is everything, not the Bohemian French world where they live as their hearts tell them.  When will the novel be expected? With good luck it will be in bookstores in two years. We’ll see!!

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Thank you, Stephanie, for an amazing interview! As I mentioned above, Stephanie has generously given us a copy of CLAUDE & CAMILLE to raffle off here. To win it, simply leave a comment by midnight, MAY 20, 2010.

The rules: Only one comment per person. However, to spice things up, for an extra entry tell me who is one of your favorite artists and why. He or she doesn’t have to be an Impressionist or nineteenth century artist. I’ll start off: Though it’s difficult to choose just one, one of my favorite artists is Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Why? Not because he’s such a great draftsman — his drawings are seriously wonky. Nor are many of his later paintings particularly tasteful (Bocca Baciata anyone?). But I can’t resist the over-the-top passion he brought to his paintings and drawings. I’m also enthralled with the stories associated with him and his Pre-Raphaelite cohort.

Small print: Book can only be shipped to U.S. or Canadian mailing address. Winner will be chosen at random and announced here May 21. Good luck to all!

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